August 25, 2012 5:51pm EDTAugust 25, 2012 4:32pm EDTAs the Bruins and Tyler Seguin mull a long-term contract, there are comparable deals to weigh. First and foremost, the seven-year, $42 million pact the Oilers gave Seguin rival Taylor Hall.

Hall was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, chosen over No. 2 Seguin in one of the closest calls in recent years in the annual talent selections. Hall's new deal with the Oilers, concluded Wednesday, is for seven years at $42 million.

Watch This

As Seguin's handlers and the Bruins discuss what lays ahead, that $6 million per season figures to be the logical cornerstone.

Check the numbers. Hall has 49 goals and 46 assists; Seguin has 40 goals and 49 assists. Based on statistics alone, Hall has the advantage. Another significant number: games played. Seguin has appeared in 155 games to Hall's 126. That's to the good for Seguin, because Hall's two NHL seasons were limited by injuries.

Note, too, that Seguin plays for a far superior team with greater talent depth. While the Oilers remain mired in the NHL's sump, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in Seguin's rookie season and were a contender again last season. Hall & Co. are rebuilding with young talent, loaded with potential but short on results.

All three players are 20 as they prepare for their third NHL season (whenever that might be). Seguin remains in his rookie contract, and he is coming off an impressive season with 29 goals and 38 assists in 81 games. His career numbers were skewed a bit as the Bruins brought him along slowly in his rookie season.

Seguin's handlers and the Bruins will try to decide on a long-term deal before the new labor deal is done, in case the provision calling for a five-year contract maximum is part of the parcel.

By the way, NESN.com also noted that a Seguin deal now could clear the deck for GM Peter Chiarelli ahead of a passel of other negotiations. Defenseman Andrew Ference and forward Nathan Horton are up for unrestricted free agency next summer, when several Bruins can become restricted free agents. Among them: Milan Lucic and goalie Tuukka Rask.